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mosquitofish
Sign in to saveAlso known as Gambusia affinis, Western mosquitofish, mosquito fish, pussel-gut, pussy-gut
The western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) is a North American freshwater poeciliid fish, also known commonly, if ambiguously, as simply mosquitofish or by its generic name, Gambusia, or by the common name gambezi. Its sister species, the eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) is also referred to by these names.
OverviewAI-generated
The Western Mosquitofish, scientifically named *Gambusia affinis*, is a species of fish within the family Poeciliidae. It belongs to the genus *Gambusia* and is classified under the order Cyprinodontiformes, class Teleostei, and phylum Chordata. The species is distinct from the Eastern mosquitofish and is also referred to by the common names 食蚊魚, 大肚仔, and 胎鱂. Its taxonomic authority is cited as (Baird & Girard, 1853).
This fish inhabits both brackish and freshwater environments. It is noted as an invasive species in Madagascar. The IUCN Red List assessed the species as Least Concern in 2019. The taxon has an accepted status in the World Register of Marine Species.
Synthesized by Vinony from 29 facts across 5 sources: Wikidata, iNaturalist, WoRMS, IUCN Red List, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Species
Least Concernmosquitofish
Species
- PhylumChordata
- ClassTeleostei
- OrderCyprinodontiformes
- FamilyPoeciliidae
via IUCN
~11 min read
Encyclopedic overview
11 sectionsContents
- Description
- Naming and taxonomy
- Diet
- Habitat
- Global invasion history and environmental impact
- Reproduction
- Embryology
- Growth
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
The western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) is a North American freshwater poeciliid fish, also known commonly, if ambiguously, as simply mosquitofish or by its generic name, Gambusia, or by the common name gambezi. Its sister species, the eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) is also referred to by these names.
Mosquitofish are small in comparison to many other freshwater fish, with females reaching a maximum length of and males a maximum length of . The female can be distinguished from the male by her larger size and a gravid spot at the posterior of her abdomen. The name "mosquitofish" was given because the fish eats mosquito larvae, and has been used more than any other fishes for the biological control of mosquitoes. Gambusia typically eat zooplankton, beetles, mayflies, caddisflies, mites, and other invertebrates; mosquito larvae make up only a small portion of their diet.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “mosquitofish” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.